Guard finger and ledger plate for mowing machines



Dec. 26, 1933. R FARRIS 1,940,903

GUARD FINGER AND LEDGER PLATE FOR MOWING MACHINES Filed July 24 1931INVENTOR' John RFarris 472M 9 Cw/z A TTORNEYS.

guard finger and .to be'u'sed as parts of the cutting apparatus of amowing-machine;

Patented Dec. 26, 1933 IPATENT" OFFICE GUARD FINGER AND LEDGER PLATE FORMOWING MACHINES m B. Farris, Salt Lake City, Utah Application July 24,1931. SerialNo. 552,924 4" Claims. (01. 56-311) This invention comprisesnovel improvements a ledger plate means adapted The mowingmachinecomprises, as 'usual, the

. necessary instrumentalities to operatethe cutting "mowed; The ledgerplates under the above conscrews to" the guard finger.

knife or sickle bar with itscustomary means for lifting and shifting thecutting apparatus. These details of the mowing-machine are Omitted fromthe drawing, as they form no part of this invention other than they areused in combination with the uard finger and the ledger plate.

For theguard fingers such as nowu'sed, the

to or fastened with t I The known object of' the ledger plate istoprovide'a cutting edge ledger plateis either riveted 'to'meet thecutting edge of'the knife or sickle bar mounted ciprocating in on thecutting apparatus, and rethe guard fingers through the in-"strumentalities for the actuating means.

" It is well known that the ledger plates become dull and incapacitatedthrough use, and also broken or nickedby coming into contact with gravelandfrocks encountered in the movement of the mowing-machine over thesurface being 'ditions must be removed and replaced by new one's;'if themowing machine is to perform its functions 'eifectually.

To replac the' ledg er plates; now commonly used is an irksome task, dueto the rivets or screws, because rivets mu'stbe chopped oif and drivenout, and screws become rusted in the structure, and sometime the headsare broken off in endeavoring'to remove them.

The object of this invention is to overcome this difiiculty, and toimprove the mounting and removal of the ledger plates. In the practiceof my invention, the ledger plates may be removed or mounted in a veryshort interval of time, and with very ordinary and simple tools, such asa punch, chisel or fiat elongated piece of metal, or other suitabletool.

This invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate partsof my improvements are designated by suitable reference characters ineach of the views.

Figure 1 is a top view of a guard'finger with the ledger plate mountedtherein.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken about line 2-'-2 inFigure 1, showing the means for connecting the .ledger plate to theguard finger.

Figure 3 is a sectional frag'mentary view of a interposition ,ofa tooltherein and thereunder,

with a hammer adjacent one of the tools, to illustrate the simple methodof mounting orv removing the ledger plate.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the guard finger and ledger platetaken on line 4-4 Figure 1 showing the relation of the ledger plate tothe guardfinger. V,

' In the drawing forming apart of this specification I have shown theguard finger A in which the ledger plate B is removably mounted therein.

The guard finger is provided with an aperture 1, adapted to receive arivet or other suitable member for the purpose of securing the guardfinger in fixed'relation to its associate part or parts. of themowing-machine. Adjacent the pointed end of the guard finger there isprovided .a pocket or receiving socket 2, the lower wall or floor 3 ofwhich is provided with a curvature or contour 4 leading upwardly in thevguard finger. A. The upper integral wall 5 of the socket extends frombefore backward, and is so positioned that it forms a transverse slot6with theledger plateB when mounted in the guard finger.-

This transverse slot is provided to receive the sickle or knife that maybe'reciprocated therein. Adjacent the entrance of the pocket orreceiving socket there is placed a downwardly extending and transverserib '7, this rib is adapted to form a fulcrum or support against whichthe ledger plate rests when mounted in the guard fingerv and tending toforce the rear end of the plate1downwardly. I

The upper wall 5 has also a semi-circular'or other suitable shapenotch8, adapted to permit the mounting of a tool used in mounting or removingthe ledger plate. The guard finger is provided with laterally extendingarms 9 and 9, these arms provide a bearing surface for the sickle orknife. A notch or depression 10 is provided intermediate the arms, andof a depth equal substantially to the thickness of the ledger plate.

A recess ordepression 11 of a suitableconfiguration is provided in theguard finger for'the reception on the rear extremity of the ledgerplate. The wall 11' of the recess 11 is provided with an inclined faceadapted to receive the complemental bevelled face formed on the rear endof the ledger plate. The guard finger is also provided with a series ofdepressions 12,13 and 14 to reduce the weight of the guard finger.

The ledger plate B is provided at one end with a reduced integrallyformed portion 15, forming with the ledger plate shoulders 16 and 16.The

Jig

reduced portion is mounted in the socket 2, and

the socket is provided to prevent lateral displacement of the ledgerplate at this extremity. The other extremity or end 17 is suitablyformed, and is mounted in the recess of depression formed in the guardfinger provided for its reception. Lateral displacement is prohibited atthis end by the squared shoulders, flanges, or ribs,2l and 24 that forma part ofthe perimeter that bounds the socket or depression 11 formedfor the ledger plate reception. An aperture 18 is provided in the ledgerplate for the reception of a suitable tool 19-, to be mounted therein,for the removing or mounting of the ledger plate B. 20 indicates ahammer in proximity to the tool 19, depicting its use in conjunctionwith the removing or mounting tool. its position in removing the ledgerplate,it being used as a lever to break the interlocking connectionbetween the ledger plate and the guard finger; The ledger plate isslightly tapered asat 23, so'-that it will conform to the contour of thesocket wallor fioor;

In practice of my invention, if it is desired to remove a ledger plate,a tool is inserted inthe depression 10 and pushed under the plate B, andforced downward in the direction of the arrow shown inFigure 3, thismovement forces the plate up and over the angled or bevelled end of thesocket 11. The tool is next placed in the aperture in the ledger plate,and the tool is struck,

thus releasing the plate from the socket 2 in the guard finger.

To mount the ledger plate, which is of spring meta'L'the plate is driveninto the socket 2, and because 'of the special construction of thesocket, and't-he endportion of the ledger plate, the end is ='causedto'foIlQw the curvature or contour of the bottom Wall of the socket 2.This causes the other extremity to be sprung downwardly or takeadownward position, when the plate has reached the limit of its movementin the socket 2, the otheren'd or extremity is then lifted up and thenforced down andinto place in the socket prepared therefor, the bevelledor angled edge of the ledger {plate "engages 'or springs against thecomplement'al face formed on the socket wall, adapte'dt'ointerlock theledger plate in the socket.

"It will be apparent from the structure shown that the ledger plate issecurely held in place by the resiliency inherently within itself, itbeing made of a spring steel plate. a

It will be further noted that the top of the ledger plate is flush withthe top of the arms 9 and 9'.

21 indicates a tool and represents vividlyv In accordance with thepatent statutes I have set forth in a specific manner required therebyone complete embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood thatthis is only for illustrative purposes and that the invention is capableof assuming other forms than that illustrated, and that the claimshereto annexed are not to be limited to the specific devicesillustrated, except as is specifically recitedtherein.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination, a guard finger, a ledger plate therefor, a sockethaving an upwardly contoured lower fioor, the ledger plate mounted inthe socket and having an end cooperating with contoured lower floor, andmeans for interlocking the ledger plate in the guard finger,

'2. In combination, a guard finger, a ledger plate therefor, a sockethaving contoured lower floor, a transverse rib thereabo'veandpos'itioned adjacentthe socket entrance, a'secon'd socketremote'therefro'm, the ledger plate having a reduced and tapered end,said end mounted'inthe socket having the contoured floor, andcooperating with the transverse rib, the other end of the ledger platemounted in the remote'socket, andmeans for interlocking the ledger platein the remote socket.

-3. In combination, a guard finger, a ledger plate therefor, a sockethaving acontoured floor,

a rib there'above and adjacent the entrance thereof, a ledger platehaving a reduced and tapered end-mounted in the said socket andcooperating with the rib and fl'ooha remote socket having a wan at anangle, and partial'perimetrical vertical shoulders, the ledger platehaving-a registering configuration mounted in'the socket and interlockedtherein through the in's'ti'umen taiities of the angled wallandpaftialgprimetrical shoulders, and an opening intne ledger plate forthe reception of a 17061 tp' breakthe ifiterlock.

4. As a new/article of manufacture, .a-.guard finger for use wi-thamowing-machine, consisting of guard finger body'having asocket-wi'tha-contoured floor, afulcrum rib adjacentfthee'ntrance on the undersideof the top wall thereof, a second socket formed remote therefromandhaving a rear wall at an angle, and bounded by partial perimetricalvertical shoulders, an arm extending therebeyond, and a portion havingan aperture therein whereby the same may be secured to themowing-machine. H 4 v J OHN RKEARRIS.

